Taking Stock
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Tony has just finished his first semester of college, and it is obvious that his priorities have not run parallel to those of his father. Jethro enlightens his son. This is part of my Fate series.
1. Calm Before the Storm

Calm Before the Storm

Tony and Dylan were shooting hoops in the backyard when the postman called out.  
"Hey, Tony, I've got a package for your dad here."

Tony jogged over to the mailtruck and greeted the man fondly. "Hey, Mr. Martin, it's good to see you." Mr. Martin had been the postal carrier for their neighbourhood for many years, and he certainly knew Tony and Dylan, Tony's best friend. He held the package out to Tony, along with the rest of the day's mail.

"So, you're freshmen now, right?" Mr. Martin asked both boys.

"Yes, sir," Dylan responded with a smile, "I'm up the road at Community College."

"I'm attending Ohio State," Tony contributed. "We're both out for Christmas break, though."

"Well, I know your dad is glad to have you back home," Mr. Martin smiled.

"Yeah, his slave labour is back," Tony smirked, and Dylan laughed and nodded in agreement. "Though I must say since I graduated he has eased off from working me to death. I think he's missed me since I'm not underfoot anymore."

Mr. Martin chuckled, "When do I need to start holding the mail? I'm assuming that you'll be heading for Mexico soon to spend Christmas."

Tony shook his head, "He hasn't gotten the plane tickets yet. He was waiting to make sure it would be okay for him to leave NCIS for a break. We'll let you know, though, because we'll be out of town a couple of weeks with Abuela."

Mr. Martin nodded and waved good bye to the boys, continuing on his route.

Tony thumbed through the mail and addressed Dylan, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to put this package and the mail inside." He started towards the house and then stopped abruptly. "Uh oh," he muttered, grabbing one of the envelopes and holding it up. "This one might be bad news."

"What's up, Tony?" Dylan followed him as Tony started back towards the house.

Tony didn't answer until they were inside and he had dropped the package and stack of mail on the foyer table.

Waving the letter in front of Dylan he explained, "I think these are my semester grades. Come on, let's go in the kitchen and get something to drink."

The boys helped themselves to Cokes and sat down at the kitchen table. They had been friends since babyhood, and had years of shared experiences.

Dylan frowned, correctly guessing his friend's concern, "Tony, you probably didn't do too badly. Don't borrow trouble. Maybe you've actually done better than you anticipated."

"That's easy for you to say. You are still here, and don't have the threat of being snatched out of Ohio State and marched home to D.C. over your head." Tony pursed his lips and then frowned thoughtfully.

Dylan continued to think positively. "Tony, I don't think your dad would really do that. He just wants you to think he will, you know, like scare you straight or something."

"Don't be ridiculous, Dylan, you know the man. Of course he would."

"You're right- I was just trying to make you feel better." Dylan reconciled himself to the most probable outcome. He and Tony had gotten into their fair share of trouble together over the years, and they both knew how each one's father reacted.

Dylan smirked, "Actually, if those grades are bad then the best we can hope is that your dad doesn't take his fury out in your blood!"

They laughed, and Dylan's cell phone vibrated. He answered and turned to Tony, then got up to leave, taking his Coke with him. "Hey, Buddy, I hate to desert you in your time of need, but I've got to go pick up my mom. Call me later, okay?"

Tony threw up his hand as a good bye and stayed where he was at the table, the incriminating envelope in front of him. Probably he could hide it and his dad wouldn't find out it was here. He could even rip it up.

Tony brightened at that. No evidence meant no evidence, no proof that he had just spent this semester playing and partying. He wasn't the only son of an NCIS special agent for nothing! Getting rid of the evidence would be easy enough.

Common sense interrupted, though, and he propped his chin in his hands. No, his dad would find out no matter what he did. He knew that the grades were imminent from Ohio State, and had even reminded Tony at breakfast yesterday that he wanted to see them immediately.

Delaying the news would just make his parent angrier than he was going to be the second he actually looked at the grade sheet.

Tony had years of experience from living with Jethro Gibbs, and lying and deception were two things which infuriated his father. There was nothing to do but just come clean and face the consequences, even if he knew they wouldn't be pretty.


	2. Years of Experience

Years of Experience

Tony got up and put the Ohio State letter back in the stack with the rest of the day's mail. There was no reason to open it- he already knew what the grades were going to be. He might as well be realistic and do something constructive like figure out ways to minimize his dad's wrath once Jethro looked at the low marks.

He thought back to a couple of years before when he and Dylan and their girlfriends had sneaked around one night and gone to Baltimore. They had run into Vance that night, his dad's boss, and it terrified him because he knew Vance would tell his dad.

In an effort to minimize the damage once the deception was discovered, Tony spent the next week knocking himself out at school, bringing home impressive, stellar grades. Once the Baltimore trip was discovered, however, Tony was grounded and got his rear end torn up, as well. As for the beautiful grades of that deceptive week- that trick backfired on him with a vengeance. His dad informed him that if a single one of his newly earned grades dropped even a point he'd get his butt beaten again.

So that strategy didn't work to do him any favours.

Tony sighed and shook his head to clear it. What was he even thinking? There were no more classes this semester, so he couldn't alleviate his dad's fury with spectacular grades now!

Another memory popped up, this time one when they were in the house in Mexico a couple of years back. He and his best friend in Mexico, Miguel, had sneaked away to a nightclub and gotten caught.

The consequences weren't pretty. His dad viewed that particular incident as blatant disobedience and deception on his son's part. Thinking back, Tony remembered he got spanked that night, too, plus put on restriction.

No, lying to his dad probably wasn't the way to go with his Ohio State crisis.

Special Agent Jethro Gibbs got home from NCIS a little after seven and the house was suspiciously quiet. He had called home earlier and told Tony he'd be late, so to order a pizza for supper, and Tony was home then.

Jethro decided his son must have gone out, and looked around the kitchen for a note. He didn't see one, and frowning, he checked his phone. There was no message. Tony knew better than to leave without alerting his father, so he had to be somewhere in the house.

Hanging his coat up in the entry closet, Gibbs saw that there was mail. He brought the package and mail into the kitchen and started sorting through the correspondence as he stood against the counter, waiting for the pot of coffee to finish brewing, and helping himself to a piece of the pizza Tony had ordered and left in the delivery box by the stove.

The envelope with the Ohio State return address caught his eye and he pulled it out. In a moment of clarity he realized this must contain Tony's grade report, and was also the reason his son was making himself unobtrusive this evening. He ripped it open and looked carefully at the marks. There were A's in the two physical education classes, and C's in all of the academic ones.

Jethro swore under his breath and threw the paper on the table.

Tony lay sprawled across his bed, where he had practically exhausted himself trying to decide his best defense with his dad the last two hours. He had mentally been categorizing and evaluating other strategies he had employed over the years to minimize trouble for himself, and was currently occupied trying to rate their effectiveness.

Tony heard his dad's footsteps approach his bedroom and he opened his eyes. "Hey, Dad, did you see the pizza?"

Jethro entered the room, pulled a chair over towards the bed, and answered, "I did, yes, thank you. Sit up, Son, and get your shoes off the bed."

Tony did as he was instructed and propped himself against the headboard. Now that his dad was physically in the room his courage was faltering. It was one thing to say he'd bite the bullet and just face his father with the grades and another to actually do it once his dad was present.

His stomach knotted.

He had to have faith, though.

His dad might go easy on him tonight because it was the Christmas season. Also, he was eighteen now, and no longer a little kid.

Nevertheless, there was no question that he was in for an unpleasant evening, but he sucked in his breath and plunged forward anyway.

"Dad," he stammered, "I know what you're thinking, and I know you've seen my grades. Remember, though, that I didn't have to leave that letter for you- I could have thrown the grades away and you wouldn't have known anything about them. But I saw the letter and knew exactly what it was going to say and I didn't do anything to it."

At Jethro's stunned expression Tony quickly reversed himself. "Not that I would do that, ever, Dad, I know better than tampering with something, but I'm just saying that I came clean and I didn't hide the truth. That should count for something, Dad, along with the fact that you don't have any more sons."

Tony attempted a smile to go with his pronouncement.


	3. We've Been Down this Road

We've Been Down this Road

His father settled back in his chair and seemed to be satisfied with what he'd meant. Tony waited a few seconds, then licked his lips nervously. "If you look at them, though, they aren't F's, so really, it's not too bad and this isn't that big a deal. They're not fantastic, but they're not undesirable, either."

As soon as the last part of the sentence left his mouth and he saw his father's expression, he realized he'd made a mistake.

His dad took a moment to get his simmering anger under control. "Hush, Anthony," Jethro commanded, "don't say anything else right now."

He shifted in his chair and leaned towards his son. "I wish I had a tally in front of me right this minute of how many hours I have spent talking to you over the years about selling yourself short with grades."

Tony flinched, but didn't answer, as his father had instructed.

Jethro continued, his voice tight. "It is just incomprehensible to me that you always choose to coast instead of make an A in a class, that you never voluntarily want anyone else to witness how intelligent you actually are."

That was certainly not an understatement. The only reason Tony had been an honour roll student all of his life was because his father refused to accept anything less than a B from him academically. He was motivated to make good grades to keep himself from being grounded or punished, but not from any innate desire of his own.

"You were accepted to as many colleges for your academic gifts as you were for your physical ones. Do you remember that? I certainly do."

Tony nodded, and his stomach tightened. He could predict where his dad was going with this.

Jethro leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was developing a headache, and suddenly he paused, at a loss as to what to say next.

Tony spoke up quietly, "May I say something now, Dad?"

His father shook his head, "Yes, you may say something, in fact, I want you to repeat to me exactly what you were told before you left to go to Ohio State. That is just the something I want to hear coming out of your mouth."

"Dad, please, that was..." Tony had no intention of being reminded of that intense conversation, nor of refreshing his dad's memory with details of that particular talk.

"I'm waiting, and I am not happy. Let me ask this question once again. What did I tell you then, Son, before you left for Ohio State?"

Tony bit his lip and answered reluctantly. "You said that if I played around and didn't work at Ohio State you were going to pull me out and move me back home."

Jethro prompted, "What were you thinking? Did you figure that I was just teasing? Tony, tell me right now how you managed all c's for your academics. Did you exert yourself at all this semester, anywhere, in even one of your academic classes?"

Tony sputtered irritably, "Maybe I just didn't understand the courses, did you ever think of that, Dad? Maybe I'm just not as smart as you are!"

"Is that what happened at Ohio State?"

Tony didn't respond, and Jethro added, his irritation increasing, "Look at me, Son, and answer my question."

He did, meeting his father's gaze. "Yes, yes sir, that's it. That is exactly what happened, and you have the grades to prove it. I didn't get anything I was supposed to be learning. I didn't understand anything at all."

Tony turned his gaze away from his dad's and crossed his arms defiantly over his chest.

"Let me ask this question again, and this time, I want only the truth from your mouth. How did you get those grades, Tony?'

Tony, annoyed, moved off of the headboard and flopped himself down on the bed. He propped up on his elbow before he bothered to answer.

"Ok, staying out too much, and going to too many parties, and not going to class- are you satisfied? Is that the answer you expected? Is there anything I didn't admit that you want to go ahead and hear from me?"

Jethro leaned over the bed and smacked his son's bottom. It hurt, and Tony immediately responded by reaching back to rub at the sting.

Narrowing his gaze, his dad ground out warningly, "You have two seconds to drop that attitude and that smart mouth, young man."

Tony flinched, "I'm sorry, Dad."

His dad usually didn't give warning smacks as reprimands. He normally just yanked off his belt and tore his son's butt up without too much preamble. Tony didn't want to push his buttons more than he already had.

He really didn't want a spanking on top of the rest of his problems tonight.

There was no response for several seconds and Jethro finally pushed the chair back and stood up. Tony knew the conversation wasn't finished, and waited apprehensively.

His father didn't disappoint him. "Ok, Ohio State is out of the question for you the rest of this year..."


	4. How It's Going to Be

How It's Going to Be

Tony scrambled up quickly and begged, "Dad, no, please don't say anything until you've thought about it more because..."

Jethro held his hand up. "Don't speak at all! I want your mouth closed!"

He waited for Tony to obey, then continued, "You will not return to Ohio State until you have at least a solid B grade point average, and not one day before then. Until that happens, you will no longer be given any independence, since you have a genuine problem handling it. You are moving back home and you will be attending Community College."

Tony threw his head back dramatically and groaned. He felt like he had been slapped. His dad couldn't do this to him!

Jethro ignored his response and continued. "Furthermore, since you have an obvious problem distinguishing between your personal priorities and your personal fun, you have lost your car and your phone, as well."

Tony couldn't help it then, and despite instructions, blurted out tragically, "Dad, please, no- you can't do this to me!"

Jethro responded, "I most certainly can, and I am. Son, you are eighteen years old, and not eight. There is absolutely no reason we should be in your room discussing your academic performance, or lack of academic performance, when you are a freshman in college! It is both discouraging and disappointing to me that you have chosen to conduct yourself as a child, rather than as an adult, in the past few months. I had thought I could trust you to go off to school and actually tend to business. So, until I see you prove yourself as being capable of acting in your own best interests, I will be acting in your best interests for you."

Jethro held out his hand expectantly but Tony's response was to disregard him and start arguing angrily.

His lip crept out to a pout, and he tried to diminish the severity of the issue. "Dad, this is just wrong! You are going to kill me with no car and no phone, plus leaving all my friends at Ohio State. Can't you just think about what you're saying? How about another punishment, please? I'm not saying I didn't screw up, I just want you to think about it when you're not mad. I love Ohio State, and you know that, Dad!"

Jethro ignored his son's outburst. "I'm waiting."

He looked pointedly at the teen, and Tony moved off the bed with a huff, pulled his keys from his pocket and grabbed his phone off his desk.

He dropped both in the outstretched hand, and questioned, as sarcastically as he could, "Ok, there- are you happy now, Dad?"

"That's the second time, Anthony. If you make one more smart remark or fail to drop that attitude you've developed, you are going go to bed tonight after a painful encounter with my belt. Is that clear?"

Tony absorbed the threat. Realizing he was just compounding the Ohio State problem, he backed off, "Yes sir, I've got it."

Jethro nodded, and spoke. "Now, I wasn't finished. There is no longer a car in the picture for you and you will no longer have a phone. In addition, you are restricted to this house unless you are physically sitting in a classroom. No friends, no going out, and no entertainment- that is going to be the mantra until all of those grades are where I want to see them."

Tony didn't respond for several long seconds, then he finally asked, "Just how long is that going to last, Dad?"

"Conceivably you could do that in one semester, but it might take two if you don't get a full class schedule in January."

Tony accepted that news like a death sentence and exploded. "Dad, you are already punishing me big time by making me come home. Taking away every thing else is just wrong! I'm eighteen years old, Dad, and it's not fair to keep just adding one restriction after another."

Tony groaned miserably, "Please, please, Dad, I really don't deserve all of this..."

Jethro interrupted irritably, "No, the punishment is standing as I just spelled it out to you, effective immediately. It is irrelevant to me whether you think the punishment is palatable or unfair. Now, are you clear on what your restrictions are, and what I expect from this point?"

Tony's head flew up and he looked at Jethro with horror. "Dad, Mexico- we're going to Mexico, remember?"

"I am well aware of that. I just bought the tickets this afternoon and phoned Abuela with the details."

"So, the punishment's not until after, Dad, after we get back to the States? Right?"

"Again, let me repeat that your grounding begins immediately."

"Dad, no! Please don't do this to me in Mexico, while we're on vacation and at Christmas! I won't be able to participate in any of the festival activities, or..."

Jethro held his finger to his lips. "Don't keep going, Son. I know exactly what attractions and events are available in Mexico. This is not a punishment you can follow at your convenience, when it is least unpleasant to you. I said it starts tonight, and that is exactly what I meant. You will still be grounded in Mexico the duration of the visit."

Tony's head was spinning and he yelled angrily, "How about then I just quit school altogether and get a job- then none of this restriction- until I bring up my grades- is even an issue! We won't even have to have this conversation!"

Jethro narrowed his gaze and answered, "That disrespect and yelling just made three." He pointed towards the bed with one hand while he started unbuckling his belt with the other. Tony realized he'd gone too far by raising his voice, plus compounding it with the really disrespectful tone, and tried to diffuse the situation.


	5. Coming to Terms

Coming to Terms

"Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." he stopped when his dad raised his eyebrows and looked at him pointedly.

Tony knew that look, and that if he kept arguing, the punishment would increase.

He should have shut his mouth while he had the chance!

Growing up in the world of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, he found himself on the receiving end of a spanking just a couple of times a year. It was a consequence his dad used pretty sparingly, but once he made the decision to put his hands on Tony with a spanking, he made sure it was a response Tony didn't want to earn again.

Now, he was about to really feel his dad's wrath.

After looking pleadingly at his dad to see if he would possibly change his mind about the punishment and accepting that the answer was no, he lowered his pants and boxers and lay down across the bed. Burying his face in his arms, he was filled with dread as he braced himself for the first smack.

Jethro didn't make him wait. Instead, he made sure that his belt connected with every millimetre of Tony's uncovered rear end.

Tony hadn't been subject to this particular punishment in quite a while, but found the agony was unchanged.

He nearly came off the bed with the first contact of the strap. He was sobbing by the third smack, and when his dad finally deemed the punishment sufficient with ten licks, Tony thought he would just lie there and die from the burning, stinging pain.

He lay where he was until he could breathe normally again. A couple of minutes later he stood up shakily and slowly pulled up his clothes.

Jethro waited until he thought his son was back in control, then looked at him with some compassion. "I know that hurt, Anthony, and I know that you are going to be feeling it for a while. However, you were warned that you were headed in that direction. Keep this spanking in the back of your mind if you ever consider talking so disrespectfully again, though. You won't have to wonder what my response will be- you'll know without a doubt."

Tony, trying to rub some of the sting from his burning bottom, nodded, "I got it, Dad. It won't happen again."

Jethro continued, "If you quit school you can be assured that your car is gone for good, not just for the duration of being on restriction. I will not allow you to keep it if you are not enrolled in college. Let me give you a helpful hint- it's impossible working a job without transportation to get there, so you are not going to improve your circumstances by going that route."

Once again, Tony's lip crept out into his trademark pout, but he obviously was mulling what his father had just said.

Jethro spoke firmly again. "Now, back to the question I asked earlier. Are you clear on what the consequences are for this semester's grades?"

Tony nodded but Jethro shook his head. "Look at me, Son, and I want a verbal answer."

Tony obeyed, and he couldn't keep tears from filling his eyes again. "Yes, sir, I've got it."

Jethro moved to him and pulled him into an embrace, then reached up to brush back his bangs. Tony had turned into a tall young man, and was now nearly an inch taller than his dad.

Gibbs put one hand behind his head and pulled him toward him, and Tony leaned his forehead down on his father's shoulder.

Jethro held him a few moments, then kissed the top of his head and said softly, "Anthony, I know you're upset with me, and I know you think that I'm being unfair." Tony nodded against him, and Jethro stepped back and tapped Tony under the chin. When his son looked up, he took both hands and wiped his eyes, then continued. "You have got to concede, though, that I always have your best interests at heart."

Pausing a few seconds, he searched for the words he wanted. "Son, I love you too much to not step in and discipline you when it is warranted, or to allow you to continue to go on a downhill course without intervening."

Kissing him softly on the forehead, he stepped back. "I will, however, take another look at your punishment after I see your mid term grades next semester. If they are good, and I am certain that you are doing what you need to do to get back on track, I will consider allowing you to begin earning some of your privileges back."

He added, "Bedtime's at nine tonight," then turned him loose and left the room.

Tony threw himself face down on the bed and took stock of his evening. He'd seen the early bedtime coming, so it was not unexpected or shocking. That was routine when he was in trouble, but the rest of the night's events were just devastating to him.

He was only eighteen, and his whole life was over! Ohio State was gone. Mexico was ruined. He had lost the phone and the car, had gotten his butt torn up, and was restricted from any out- of- the- house activities.

This had to be the absolute worst night of his whole, entire life!


End file.
